


Daydream In Blue

by blackandbluegrayson



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Accidental Drug Use, Case Fic, Comic Book Violence, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medical Inaccuracies, Panic Attacks, mental wound, near overdosing, physical wound, they are dectectives and act as such
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-08-13 07:24:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20170426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackandbluegrayson/pseuds/blackandbluegrayson
Summary: This is exactly why Jason is in town right now. Seems Goldie can’t keep his own trash in his city. So, he has decided to come and do some cleaning.Red Hood style.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shinetheway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinetheway/gifts).

> For Shinetheway : Really hope you will like this. It was really fun to try a style i never write before. It a great experience
> 
> For my betas : Thank you to my BF to have make the first round of correction with me. A HUGE thank you to BehindTheRobinsMask, you have been my lifesaver. *hugs*

Blüdhaven stinks.

And it’s not just the air, Jason’s helmet can filter most of that out, it’s the general feeling in this town. Maybe it is just the Gothamite in him talking, but Jason would need a long shower after today. 

Gotham is rotten but under the watchful eyes of the bats and himself, the crime rate has gone down in the last few years. It’s still one of the most criminalized cities in the world, but Gotham is leagues better than this dump. Blüdhaven only has Nightwing and he can’t deal with everything on his own. As perfect as everyone thinks Grayson is, he’s still just one man. 

That is exactly why Jason is in town right now. It seems Goldie can’t keep his own trash in his city, so he’s decided to come and do some cleaning. 

Red Hood style.

For a few months now, a new drug has been appearing in the streets. The Gotham underground calls it the daydream. Not only is that shit highly addictive in small doses, but the cases of overdose linked to it continue to skyrocket.

Just in the last three weeks, Jason has had to help at least ten people under the effect of that drug. Luckily, a common antidote like Naloxone manages to stabilize victims until he can get them to the hospital, but it’s been too much for him to keep overlooking the drug. Since it seems like Batman is too busy to care or ask another Bat to investigate, he decided to do it himself. 

After a few busted knees and broken fingers, he managed to get a good lead. That is how he finds himself in this hell hole. This is where the main head is supposed to produce this shitty drug. However, Jason couldn’t manage to find out the man’s identity. All the dealers he has interrogated call him Three-Finger Cal. Not a name that rings any bells for him. He could have just called Dick and ask him for more information, but he didn’t want to depend on the older man. This is personal. Whoever the trash bag of a person was who brought that crap into his hometown would have to pay for it. And he was the one who would make him pay. 

Besides, it’s an in and out job. Nightwing would probably never even know about it. Dick always invites the bats to do stuff with him and never mentioned they couldn’t come here. This should be fine.

Why should he care what Dick is thinking anyway?

He has some scumbag to take care of. 

As he makes his way into the building, he has to give it to these criminals for not using a warehouse for once. Instead, it’s an old hospital that has been closed for years now. The building has been scheduled to be demolished for a long time, but for some reason the order has been postponed. Jason has no doubt someone at city hall receives his share of that drug money to keep the place standing.

The hospital is as creepy as one would expect an abandoned hospital to be. The paint is cracking, old wheelchairs and beds have been left there to rust, there are remains of medical equipment lying around, broken glass and graffiti all around the place. The perfect setting for either criminal activity or ghost hunting.

Digging through the building records, he finds the blueprint and marks the possible places they could be using as a drug lab. Level 4 looked the most promising, considering it used to be the pharmacy floor. It was one of the last parts of the hospital to close, had been kept in good shape and had an easy access point to a cargo lift that linked to street level delivery parking.

Perfect place for them to make the drug and get it out of the building without too many witnesses.

Walking up the stairs, he could feel eyes on him. This made him a bit twitchy, so he pulls one of his guns out.

“Alright creep. Why don’t you get out and fight?” Jason growls and turn suddenly.

Red Hood finds himself pointing his gun at Nightwing’s chest.

“Personal space Dickhead.” He snaps as he takes a step back and lowers his weapon. This isn’t his day.

“It’s really you… Hood what the hell are you doing here?” Nightwing asks in a low but harsh voice.

“Making sure Blüd’s crap don’t find it’s way into Gotham again.” He answers. “And of course, it’s me. Did you really mistake me for someone else?”

“I didn’t expect you to come here. So, I thought it was either a rival gang trying to scare Caley or some cosplayer here for a photo shoot.”

Jason just glares at him. He knows that even with his helmet on, Dick is feeling the heat of it.

“What? It happened before okay. After all, an abandoned building is a perfect setting for pictures.” The older man says a bit defensively. “And I’m not even counting the number of strippers I’ve seen dressed as Red Hood before. You’re the second most asked for hero for bachelorette parties.”

“Second? Who’s first?” Jason asks without thinking.

“Take a guess.” Dick says motioning at himself. “But that’s beside the point. Why are you here?”

Jason is more than happy to go back to the subject at hand. He really doesn’t need, or want, to know how the other vigilant know about those facts. Even least to have the mental image of a stripper Nightwing distracting him now.

“Already told you. I’m taking out the trash.” Jason snaps. “That Daydream crap is putting people’s lives in danger and you’re doing nothing about it.”

“I’ve been working on that case for months now, taking out some of the main suppliers as I make my way to the head.” Nightwing replies coldly with eyes narrowed. Sometimes Jason forgets about Dick’s tempers and he wonders why. It was as dangerous as going to kick a killer bees’ nest. “So either you get out of my way or follow me, this is my town.”

“Your town? Getting as possessive as Daddy Bat with Gotham here golden boy. “He snorts. Anything else he is about to reply is cut out when the light dims for a moment and they could hear a mechanical sound. 

“Shit.” Nightwing curses. He glares one last time at the younger man. “No killing.” 

Jason follows him, mentally screaming at himself. They had been so stupid. It’s a rookie mistake to get sidetrack by a mindless fight, but it always seemed to happened between to them. There was something about Dick that always made him more vulnerable to emotion like this.

When they enter the makeshift lab it is clear that it has been recently vacated. There is nothing there except the lab equipment, a huge metal storage cabinet, chairs and a laptop. 

Jason growls and runs to the window just in time to see a truck disappear in the streets. He slams his hand on the window in rage and frowns deeply. Those are armored trucks, too suspicious for his liking. “Well, they are long gone….”

As Jason glared out the window, Nightwing made his way to the laptop. “Seems like they tried to wipe the hard drive.” He gets a thumb drive from his left glove and plugs it in. “But I should be able to restore the information.” He says as his fingers move on the keyboard.

“Maybe tonight won’t be a total bust.” The younger mumbles behind his mask. The glare he receives from the other man tells him tonight hadn’t gone according to plan for Dick either. Not that he cares. This mess wasn’t his fault.

Jason decides to go check the cargo lift. It has been left on the basement floor. He opens the panel to get it back to their level. At least they won’t have anyone getting up there from that side. 

Jason walks back to check on the table while Dick continues to hack the laptop. Some of the drugs had been left behind. Maybe if they had a better understanding of the drug, they could treat the victims better. 

“Well, hello there, Nightwing.” A voice suddenly resonates in the room. “Glad to see you’re right on time.”

That makes the younger vigilante raise his head and check the screen over Dick’s shoulder. It’s a live feed video. The man on the screen is well dress in an all white three-piece suit and a fedora crock on his head. He looks like a 40s gangster out of his time, but he kind of rocks it. His face is clearly badly burned. His only functional eye looks at him as he stares back through his helmet.

“You brought a friend. What a lucky day!” He says with a rictus on his face. He points at him with his hand that only has the thumb, index and middle finger. So that must be why people call him Three-finger Cal. “Don’t think I don’t know what you did to my men, Red Hood. This will only make this day better.” 

“Just because you cleared this place out, doesn’t mean we won’t get you, Caley.” Nightwing answers calmly.

“Those are brave words for a man that won’t see the outside of this room.” As he says that, a steel gate closes their only exit in the room. “You two were getting on my nerves and I can’t let you ruin my good work. Just happy to have you joining us, Hood. It will save me the headache to tracking you down.”

Suddenly the electricity cuts off and the laptop closes.

Jason tenses when his ears catch a faint but steady beeping coming from the metal storage unit in the room. He rapidly makes his way over and opens it. 

His heart misses a beat.

The red digits of an alarm clock stare back at him. For a second, the sound of maniacal laughter rings in his ears and he swears he sees a deformed red smile over white skin out of the corner of his eyes.

“Hood! Are you still with me?” Nightwing calls him in his leader’s voice. Normally that tone would piss him off but right now Jason’s glad Dick can snap him out of his memories. He is not alone in this warehouse.

“Yeah…” He says after a moment and checks the bomb in front of him. “That is definitely a real one. A big one.”

“We better go.” The older vigilante comments.

“That bomb is big enough to destroy the whole building and damage the buildings nearby. This is the main detonator but it is linked to others.” 

Dick didn’t need to ask what Jason meant. This bomb would be big enough to hurt civilians. “Can you defuse it?”

“Not completely on this timer, but I can neutralize some of the explosives and reduce the blast.” Jason answers and he begins to work.

“Okay. I will take samples of the drug.” Nightwing says making his way to the table and begins to collect what little if the drug was left behind. 

Dick stays close enough for Jason to see him and Jason hates how grounding it is. He works as fast as he can, but it is more complicated than he expected. When the timer hits the forty-five second mark, he looks back at the other man.

“We’re leaving. I managed to neutralize most of the lower floors but can’t do more.” He says already making his way to the cargo lift. Jason is glad now that he called it to their level.

Nightwing follows after him putting a few vials in his right gauntlet pocket. The cargo lift is clearly not made for two grown adults. Luckily, Dick has a rubber spine and they manage to fit together.

“Better cover your ears.” Jason warns before he shots the cables holding the metal frame.

The cabin drops fast as the sound of an explosion makes the whole building shake. Jason looks up to see the shaft been engulfed in flames. Without thinking, he holds Nightwing against himself and uses his body to protect him from the fire. 

At the same time the lift hits the ground. Hard. Everything goes dark and too warm.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hood…. Jaybird…” A voice is calling him. 

Jason is tempted to ignore that voice and stay in the peaceful oblivion he is in, but there is something wrong. He must wake up. There’s danger. Slowly his mind catches up: explosion, fall, Nightwing.

Dick!

He feels something moving under him and he can hear a laborious breathing. Carefully, he moves so he is not resting on top of the other man. He groans as the muscles of his back and neck complain at the movement. His jacket, body armour and helmet have taken most of the impact and heat, but it’s still hard on his body.

“Jay… You’re okay?” Nightwing asks a bit breathlessly.

“Still in one piece” Jason moves his limbs as much as he can to check. “You?”

“Actually… Not so good,” he mutters weakly.

That makes Jason stop. Dick always tries to minimize his wounds to not worry people. Fearing the worst, Jason gets a flashlight from out if his pocket and turns it on. The scene in front of him is not as bad as expected but not great either.

Dick is lying on his side on the floor of the lift. His suit is torn in some places and he is bleeding. Not the worst he has received. What is worrying is the twisted and broken pieces of the frame that seemed to have pierced his right wrist.

“Shit.” Jason hooks the flashlight on his jacket and check the wound. It is a small blessing that it doesn’t seem to be too deep, so the muscle might be okay. The bad thing is that it is this part of the structure and they will have to take it out. Dick stretch his neck to inspect the wound too. He seems to have read Jason’s mind.

“The explosion has weakened the building and the police will be here soon…” he says but his voice slowly fading.

“You’re okay there Wing?” Jason asks as he gets his knife out of his boots.

“Yeah… Lightheaded a bit. Hard time focusing. Maybe a concussion,” the older man says after a moment.

Jason nods once and use his knife to cut a part of Nightwing uniform. The thing was already tearing up and the material is easier to manipulate. He needs it to be able to make a tight bandage so that’s the best option. 

“Okay … we need to get that out,” he warns before he wraps his hand around the other arm. He waits for Dick to nod before he pulls his arm off carefully but as fast as he can. Don’t need to make Nightwing suffer through it more than needed but Jason don’t want to cause more damage.

One thing that concerns Jason is the lack of reaction from the older man. Sure he has groans in pain and body tense, but he still looks so lethargic. Rapidly, he wraps the fabric around the wound to stop the blood flow.

“That feel okay? Not too tight?” he asks.

Dick only hums in response.

“Use your words,” he snaps.

“Yeah … it’s good,” Nightwing finally answers. He forces himself to sit up in the small space. “Probably the first time you want me to talk.”

“I do. I will make an exception.” Red Hood moves to the lift doors now that Dick is not lying in front of it. “So talk.”

“We definitely need to communicate better,” the older man says after a moment. 

Jason snorts as he works at getting the doors open. “Communication is not a skill that the boss man has taught us.”

“Not true … but he only teaches us to talk in huffs and gruffs.” He takes a deep breath like talking is getting him out of breath. “Still, if we had talked, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“There are a lot of situations we wouldn’t have been in if it wasn’t for Batman. Like faking your death or, you know, being actually dead,” Jason comments as he manages to get the doors open. He uses the light to check the room. The garage doesn’t seem to be affected too much by the explosion. He could see they have let the door open. They will be able to get out without trouble at least. “The coast is clear.”

When he realizes that Dick won’t move by himself, he helps him up and put his good arm around his shoulder. There is a small panic when for a moment the other man seems to be like a rag doll against his side before he takes a shaky step. 

“Do you have a safe house near?” Red Hood asks as they make their way outside the building. He could already hear the sirens of police and ambulance coming closer. He needs to get Nightwing somewhere safe and then try to follow the track before it goes cold.

“Yes…?” Dick answers but he sounds more confused now.

Jason doesn’t like this. There is something clearly wrong with the acrobat. He curses and pick the man up. It wasn’t easy because Dick is mostly dead weight right now but they need to be out of here before the police arrive. 

It takes him a little more time to reach his bike that is parked in an alley nearby than he likes too. Jason makes the older man sit down on the seat before he tears his domino mask off. He needs to check his eyes. He is expecting his pupils to dilate and irregular, but they pinpoint. And closing. Like the older man can’t stay awake. Now that he can look at him under the harsh light of a lamppost, he could finally see how clammy his skin look. His lips have a blue colouring and his breathing is laborious. 

He grabs Dick injured hand. His right hand. The one he has hidden the drug vial in the gauntlet. Right where the metal has pierced. 

Those aren’t symptoms of a concussion. He has seen them before. It’s suddenly hit Jason like a punch in the guts.

Dick didn’t have a concussion. 

He is overdosing.


	3. Chapter 3

Jason reaches out to pat Dick’s cheek. “You have to stay awake. You have the drug in your blood stream.” 

The older man is clearly fighting to keep his eyes open, and is slowly losing the fight. “Jay…”

A normal person wouldn’t be able to stay conscious with as much raw drug in their body, but with years of being exposed to Poison Ivy spores, Joker’s gas, Scarecrow’s toxin and other unsavory Gotham concoctions, they had both built up some immunity.

“I will give you some Naloxone.” Jason warns as he takes the nasal spray out of his coat pocket. He’s glad he still has some. Not waiting for an answer, he grips Dick’s jaw, puts the applicator in his nostril and pressed down. Everything is a matter of time right now. 

With that out of the way, he opens his comlink to call the only person that could help him now.

“Hood, what can I do?” Barbara answers nearly right away. Either it is a really slow night in Gotham, or she knows Jason wouldn’t call her if it wasn’t a life or death situation. 

“I’m in Blüd. Wing has a large dose of the Daydream drug in his system.” He explains as he tries to ignore the way his voice quivers. “I need to know his closest safe house that is equipped to deal with this.”

“What do you need exactly?” Babs asks. He could already hear her fingers on the keyboard.

“Naloxone, or any other medications like it, IV fluids and oxygen.” Jason says and looks at Dick. He didn’t look better, but he didn’t seem to worsen since he gave him the medication.

“How bad it is, Hood? Should I send some reinforcements?” She asks calmly but Jason is not fooled. He knows she worried now.

“He is stable but I need a place ASAP or I will have to take him to a hospital. I have no time to waste.” He snaps. “So does Big Bird have a place nearby or not?”

“Yes. With the drug situation in Blüdhaven, Nightwing has thankfully filled his safe houses with precautions like Naloxone. I’m sending you the address of the closest one. You have access to it, so no worry.”

Of course, Dick would give access to his safe house to mostly anyone he knows. 

“Thank Barbie.” Jason says sincerely as he manages to make Dick move so he can sit behind him on the motorcycle. “I will keep you posted.”

“You better. And call if you need anything.” Oracle closes the communication.

“Hang in there, Dickie…. We’ll get you there.” He says trapping his adoptive brother’s body between himself and the handlebar of the bike.

In a situation like this one, Jason will count his blessings that the safe house they need is close. It’s already hard to drive with Dick mostly being dead weight in front of him.

But because life is a bitch, one good thing always brings a bad one. Like Dick’s habit of having his safe houses somewhere up high. Batman has his cave, and Nightwing has his nests. Sure, the building is a small one but three stories is still complicated in their situation.

“You need to learn how to live on the ground level.” He mutters to the barely conscious man before tossing him across his shoulders in a fireman’s carry.

Jason’s entire body is complaining by the time he gets inside. Dick might be shorter and a bit thinner than him, but he is still one hundred and seventy-five pounds of muscle. Jason drops him as gently as he can on the bathroom’s rug. He lays Dick on his side so he won’t choke if he vomits, before he goes hunting for supplies. 

After getting everything he needs, Jason puts the oxygen mask on Dick, installs the IV fluid line and gives him another injection of Naloxone. It takes a few minutes, but Dick’s breathing sounds better and his lips take on a more normal colour. He wasn’t out of the woods yet, but at least he was stable. With that out of the way, Jason works on the wound. He can’t take the risk of more drugs getting into Dick’s body and making him crash for real.

When the stitches and the new dressings are done, Jason finally takes a deep breath. He has no idea how long this has all taken, but he feels like he just ran a marathon with Killer Croc sitting on his shoulders.

He should go wash his hands which are no stained with fresh blood, but he can’t move. 

Last time he saw someone lying on the ground like this, it had been when his mother overdosed. At the time, he had been too young and scared to be able to save Catherine. He can’t fail another person… he can’t lose a loved one again.

Because as much as he hates to admit it, he cares too much for Dick. He has ever since he was Robin. That’s one feeling the pit hadn’t totally twisted or clouded with anger. He can’t bear the thought of losing Dick. 

Jason jumps when he feels a hand on his thigh and looks down at the other man.

Dick’s eyes are half open but the look he sends his way is too lucid considering the situation. The acrobat’s fingers dig more in his leg. This is when Jason notices that the other man’s lips are moving under the oxygen mask. For a second, he fears the mask is defective and that Dick is gasping for air, but Jason realizes there’s a pattern.

Dick is telling him something. At least mouthing words.

He lowers himself to try to understand or at lease be able to read his lip.

“Breath…. Jay… Breath”

Why would Dick tell him to breathe? He’s the one with an oxygen mask on.

Jason realizes then how his breath is short, his heart is racing and his hands are shaking. He is on the verge of a panic attack. 

The younger man closes his eyes and begins to take deep breaths. Now is not a time to lose it. Not for something like this. He is stronger than that.

Dick’s fingers squeeze and release his thigh in a slow calming motion. He is mimicking the pattern of his breath. The idiot nearly dies twice tonight, but still feels the need to comfort him. 

Jason wishes he could hate him. That would make things easier.

When his heart stops trying to escape his rib cage, he opens his eyes again. Dick is offering him a soft smile, but his eyes are tired and concerned. Jason can’t stand it.

“Let’s get cleaned up, Goldie.” He mumbles.

Jason’s turn on the sink so the water can warm up as he removes the rest of Nightwing’s suit. It’s not too hard with how torn up it already is. He just tries not to disturb Dick’s other wounds. He blushes deeply when he realizes that Dick’s only wearing a jockstrap under that suit even though that shouldn’t surprise him.

“Really Dick?” He says looking at the older man.

“Summer … gets hot.” The acrobat manages to say, trying to defend his wardrobe choice. A thing he’s already used to doing since his first Nightwing costume. 

“Of course.” Jason says rolling his eyes as he takes a hand towel and runs it under the warm water. He begins to clean the smaller wounds. Luckily none of them need more stitches at least. “Your suit is nearly painted on your body, it can’t be that bad.”

“You’re mean… Little Wing.” Dick breath out and pouts. How a man in his mid-twenties can manage to do that and still look cute is beyond Jason. 

“That’s tough love, big bird.” He answers eyes focused on his task so they won’t wander anywhere else. Even drugged out, pale, clammy and bandaged up, Dick Grayson is still one of the most beautiful men the younger vigilante has ever seen.

“I love you too, Jay.” Dick whispers. His voice is so clear it takes Jason by surprise.

He looks back at the other man’s face and his eyes are way too clear for the amount of drugs in his system.

“Don’t get all emotional, Dickhead.” He replies as he finished cleaning Dick’s wounds. “Now that I’m sure you won’t die of an overdose or septic, time to get you to bed.”

Getting Dick into some sweat pants and getting everything set up with the oxygen tank and IV pole takes longer than Jason plans. Not that any plan has worked at all tonight anyway. As the stress is leaving him, Jason feels suddenly tired. He sits down on the other side of the bed to rest a few minutes before he moves to the living room. 

When he decides to finally get up, he feels Dick’s hand on his wrist effectively stopping him.

“Need anything?” he asks tiredly. Dick shakes his head. “Alright, I’ll be in the living room if you do.”

“No… Sleep here.” He begins as he takes the oxygen mask off his face so Jason will hear him better. “You won’t sleep if you worry. Here you can check on me.” Dick is out of breath after just that little string of words. That concerns Jason as he forces the mask back onto his face.

“Stop talking idiot. Just focus on breathing okay?” He grabs Dick’s hand to stop him from reaching out to pull his mask off again. “Look. If I stay in the room, will you stop taking that off, or should I tape it to your face?”

“Stay.” The older man mouthed and nodded once.

“Why do I feel you’re just looking for a reason to have a cuddle buddy?” Jason mumbles. “Any clothes I can borrow?”

Dick seems to think like he knows the answers but can’t formulate it. Finally, he points at the dresser and shows Jason two fingers. 

Opening the second drawer, Jason finds some piles of clothes. Two sets of clothes are clear meant to fit the demon spawn and the replacement, and two other sets of clothes seem big enough for him. He wishes he could be surprised that Dick has clothes for all of them at his safe house. 

“I’m taking a shower. Try to stay alive while I’m gone.” Jason says taking the clothes. 

Dick gives him a thumbs up and finally lays down on the bed. The younger man pretty is sure he is asleep before he passes the door’s threshold. 

The shower feels heavenly. Not only to take off the dust, blood and soot from his skin, but to help his aching muscles relax. The elevator crash did a number on his body. He lets hot water hit his back as he thinks about what to do next. They definitely need to get that Three-fingers Cal off of the streets. That man is a maniac.

As much as he hates this, it might be better to wait and check with Dick. If they put both their information together, they could maybe take advantage of the fact he might think they’re both dead. That could make Cal feel confident enough to make a mistake.

It would have to wait until tomorrow when Dick is more coherent.

Feeling he couldn’t stand up much longer, Jason gets out of the shower and gets ready for bed.

He hesitates to enter the room. Dick is clearly sleeping and won’t know if Jason decides to sleep on the couch. However, if he wakes up and Jason is not beside him, he’ll try to get up and find him. So, to protect that self-sacrificing idiot, he better sleep in the room.

Jason puts some alarms on his phone to make sure he awakes up to give Dick more medication and check the fluid and oxygen levels. He stands beside the bed a bit longer, watching the older man sleep. His breathing is short but regular, color is returning to his face and he looks at least peaceful.

“Stop being a coward.” He mutters to himself before moving under the cover.

He tenses when Dick moves in his sleep to get closer to him and rest one hand on Jason’s forearm. That man is like a magnet to body heat.

Jason sighs accepting his fate and the fact that he would probably not get any sleep tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

_There is nowhere to run._

_Everything is rubble and fiery explosion. He can’t breathe._

_Green and white flames are licking his skin._

_Explosions and maniac laughter are hurting his eardrums._

_Suddenly, the ground collapses and he begins to fall. _

_He feels like he’s falling forever. _

_He falls in a pile of corpses. _

_“Why haven’t you saved us Jason?” Catherine Todd’s voice asks as the corpses begin to grab him and drag him down._

_  
“I trusted you Little Wing.” Dick says before Jason disappears into the pile of bodies and finds himself in green water._

Jason wakes up trying to catch his breath but there is something pressing against his chest. He can’t move. He begins to thrash more trying to get free.

“It’s okay Jay.” Dick says but his voice sound so far. “Stop, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Whatever is blocking his chest finally moves and he can finally sit up. He opens his eyes and his brain finally catches up. He is in Dick’s safe house. It was only a nightmare. He hadn’t had one that bad in a while.

He feels the mattress move beside him. Of course, Dick had seen it all. There was nowhere left for Jason to hide, but he still takes his head in his hands.

“Can I touch you?” The older man asks in a hoarse voice.

“Don’t…” Jason mumbles into the palms of his hands. He is aching to feel Dick’s touches, to be grounded in the moment, but he can’t accept that.

“Okay….” There’s more movements before Dick continues. “It was just a bad dream.” 

“Don’t baby me Dick.” He growls and finally looks up at him. “Put that oxygen mask back on your face.”

“I’m feeling better. Don’t think I need it anymore.” Dick complains and rolls his eyes.

“We have no idea if that drug is completely out of your system yet. Put it back on.”

“Can we at least change it for a nasal cannula? I know I have one in stock here. And I need to go to the bathroom.” Dick sighs but he puts the mask back on.

Even if Jason doesn’t like the idea of Dick moving around, he’ll allow it if that makes the older man drop the nightmare subject. He untangles his leg from the blanket and gets up. He doesn’t get the chance to make it to the other side of the bed before Dick is already getting on his feet.

That stubborn ass.

The younger vigilante helps Dick to the bathroom, changes the oxygen mask and checks his wrist dressing. When Jason’s done, he just lets Dick take care of the rest. Less embarrassing for everyone.

Jason takes the time Dick is in the bathroom to check the kitchen. Not much food except for none-perishables. Pretty common for a safe house but nothing that could really be made for breakfast.

“Did that can of spaghetti insult you?” Dick asks when he gets out of the bathroom. He did look a bit better.

“Where is the closest grocery store?” Jason asks getting Dick situated on the couch. He knows trying to force the older man back to bed would just be exhausting and pointless.

“There’s one two streets down. Why?” Dick asks confused.

“If I have to stay here a few days, I need real food.” Jason replies.

Dick blinks a few times. “You’re staying?”

Jason looks at him. “You clearly have a crazy drug lord on the loose and aren’t in any shape to be out by yourself. Of course, I’m staying around until we stop him. Plus, he attempted to blow me out, I take that pretty personally.”

The older man seems to think a moment before he reaches out towards the coffee table. “Give me that laptop before you go. I’ll see what I manage to recover from the drive from last night.”

He seems to pull the thumb drive out of thin air. He probably took it from his suit when he was in the bathroom. Jason only agrees because they need that information and it will keep Dick busy while he’s out.

  
  
“Try to stay out of trouble.” He says before he takes his jacket and leaves.

Less than two hours later, Jason returns, he makes breakfast with the ingredients he’s bought and he joins Dick in the living room.

“Find anything?” He asks putting a plate beside Dick on the couch arm rest closes to him and sits beside him.

Dick types on a few more keys before he looks up and nods. “We might have hit the jackpot with this one. Found a list of drop points in both Blüd and Gotham and shipment plans. There is still a lot I haven’t decrypted but even this much is already useful.”

Jason smiles a bit. “Well, that’s good news. Now if we could only find out where that psycho wannabe drug lord is, it will make my week.”

“It would make my damn year.” Dick mutters and alternates between typing and trying to eat. “Because unlike what you thought, I’ve been trying to get that bastard for a while.”

Jason sighs at this. Maybe he had been too rash accusing Dick of turning a blind eye on the situation. “Look… I’m sorry about that, okay? I shouldn’t have said something like that.”

“But you weren’t wrong. It shouldn’t have taken me so long to get a lead on him.” Dick says. He was angry. Not at Jason, but clearly at himself.

“Still I should have tried to communicate with you instead of just showing up and messing with your operation.” He offers.

“Sure, a call would have been nice. Even if it had been just a social one.” Dick sighs. “But without you there last night, I would be dead in the rubble of that building so… let’s says you showed up at a good time.”

Jason finishes his plate and sees that Dick is still trying to work and eat at the same time. “Give me the laptop Dickie. I can read what you already got from the drive so I can be up to date and you can finish eating.”

He didn’t really expect an answer and just took the computer from his adoptive brother.

“Good idea. Afterwards we can both share what we know about this case.” Dick says and tries to get the plate balanced on his injured arm. He winces when it presses on the IV line. “I’m eating now and there haven’t been any signs that the drug is still in my system since I wake up. This is pointless.”   
  
Jason didn’t like the idea of taking Dick off fluids without a full day of recovery, but he knew Dick would pull it out himself if he didn’t do it for him. “That bag of saline is nearly empty so it’s probably a good time.” Jason puts the computer down and goes to help Dick, so he doesn’t make a mess.

The moment Dick is free, he brings his plate closer and literally shoves the food in his mouth.

“Hard to remember you were raised at the manor.” Jason snorts as he sits back down. “Your manners probably give Alfred nightmares to this day.”

Dick at least has the decency to swallow before he answers. “I’ve always been a circus kid when I’m hungry and have good food in front of me.”

Knowing how Dick gets when he is on a case that’s probably the first real meal he’s had in days. Sometimes Jason thinks there’s a competition between Bruce, Tim and Dick for who takes the worst care of themselves.

He simply shakes his head and begins to read. He quickly learns that Dick is right. The information will help them form a real plan and catch Caley. However, they might need help because this is bigger than the two of them now. When he is finished reading over the decrypted files, he puts the laptop down and lets the decrypting program continues to work its magic.

“So, who is this maniac?” He asks.

Dick put his plate down. “Turner Caley AKA Three-finger Cal. Age 36. Gotham native. He’s had a criminal record since he was thirteen: selling drugs, assault and manslaughter. For years, he’s been a low-life drug dealer in Gotham. He’s been suspected to give stronger doses to his bad clients to make them overdose.”

Jason’s eyes widen and he clenches his fists. “What? Do we have proof of that?”

“Nothing concrete, but his partner did put a price on his head and tried to kill him in an explosion. And cross-referencing the hospital’s records of OD victims with his client list is pretty accusing.” Dick explains.

“He’s not just a drug dealer. We might have a serial killer on our hands.” This new information only adds to the ever-growling list of reasons why this man deserves a bullet from Red Hood.

“That’s why we need a fool proof plan this time. We can’t let him continue to hurt people. That Daydream drug is clearly lethal, and the victim count is only escalating.” Dick rubs his face and sighs.

Jason looks in his blue eyes and nods. “No running ahead. We’ll make sure we get him this time.”

“Glad we agree.” Dick smiles weakly and continues to work.


	5. Chapter 5

For hours, they exchanged all the information they had gathered so far and added it to what they had found on the laptop. 

“Seems your theory that Caley is paying someone at city hall is right Jay.” Dick explains as he turns the computer towards Jason and nearly pushes a stack of notes off the table. “See the name, Flower lady in these documents? That’s the nickname for councilwoman Melanie Medved. She’s in charge of the redevelopment in Blüdhaven. She’s the one who give the okay to destroy building to make gardens.”

Jason studies the list of names on the screen. “Do you recognize any other people?”

The acrobat nods. “A good bunch. I can see a chairman of the electric company, a few police officers and the owner of a delivery business at the dock.”

“He’s gotten people that can help him access buildings, reroute electricity, deliver drugs and paid them enough to turn a blind eye.” The younger man comments. He points to some information written beside each name. “That number is clearly money and those are addresses. And they are repeating.”

“Maybe they’re drop-off places for the drug?” Dick thinks out loud but doesn’t look too convinced.

“More like where they get their money. I mean there aren’t any account numbers or anything that suggests the money was transferred somewhere. No virtual paper trail.” Jason says and looks at Dick.

“Let’s see if we can find out.” He turns back to the laptop and types away.

Jason leans against the couch and watches Dick’s long fingers move across the keyboard. Even while using only one hand he could hack well. It was impressive to watch.

“Seems you’re right, Jay. I can’t get into councilwoman Medved account, but I checked officer Sigmans and aside for his paycheck from the Blüdhaven PD, I don’t see any strange transactions. I’ll need to ask Babs to double check on all of them, but we got something here.” He says smiling. 

“Should I worry that you can still hack into Blüd’s PD database that easily?” Jason asks.

Dick grins. “Might have given back my badge years ago, but I didn’t mention all the backdoors I’d built into the computer system. Mostly for cases like this.”

Jason hated how that grin made his heart beat faster. He gets up and picks up the dishes from this morning to take his mind off that feeling. They’ve worked on this long past lunch time. So, he grabs some snacks knowing the day is far from over and starts to fill the electric kettle to make cups of coffee and tea.  
He’s truly surprising that he and Dick have managed to work together for this long without a fight. However, it might be different when they make the plan. Dick is used to taking the lead and Jason is used to doing his own thing. They just need to keep in mind that they need to work together to take Caley down.

When the drinks are ready, he makes his way back to the living room and puts the cups and snacks down. Dick’s eyes are focused on the screen and his eyebrows are frowned.

“What is it?” He asks.

“Babs agreed to get us as much financial information as she can get.” Dick answers.

“That’s good. So why the long face?” Sometimes he doesn’t understand the first Robin.

“She’s pissed off. Seems like you called her yesterday and promised to keep her posted on the situation, but you haven’t called her.” Dick says. “She was about to send Alfred or Tim to check on us.”

“I totally forgot,” Jason groans and rubs his face. He would need to be extra nice to Barbara in the next few months if he wanted to fall back into her good graces.

“Well, she hasn’t,” Dick chuckles weakly. “Maybe try to apologize to her when you can. I managed to calm her down by telling her I was okay and that you were really busy patching me up. That should keep her off your back for the time being.”

“Thank you.” Jason mutters and looks at him. The first robin still looked concerned. “Dickie?”

“How bad was I yesterday?” He asks and raises his head to meet Jason’s eyes. “I thought I knew how bad it was, but when I think about it, everything between getting out of the lift and waking up with you trashing beside me this morning is a blur.”

“You were pretty out of it. The drugs got in your system and you nearly… You were in bad shape.” Jason explains.

He is kind of glad that Dick doesn’t remember last night. Mostly his near panic attack. It is a small blessing, but it still confused him how much Dick had cared even when he was barely coherent.

Dick rests a hand on Jason’s knee. “I don’t think I’ve thanked you for saving my ass and nursing me back to health.”

“You haven’t but I’ll give you a pass this time. Normally my rate is way higher.” He says looking away. His leg feels as if it’s burning under the other man touch, but he refuses to move or pull the hand-off.

The older man shakes his head. “I’m serious Little Wing. Thank you for taking care of me. I know it’s not easy for you…”

“Stop!” Jason cuts him off sharply. “We have a lot to talk about, but feelings aren’t one of them.” 

Dick rolls his eyes and mumbles “Acting like Bruce, much,” under his breath, but drops the subject. 

Jason’s only answer is a punch to Dick’s leg, but the message is clear enough. “So, what are we doing until Babs gives us more information?” He asks.

“Let’s try to pinpoint where Caley is hiding.” He says and gets up and pulls on his nasal cannula. “Okay I think that’s enough.” He says as he pulls the cannula off and turns off the portable oxygen tank. Afterwards, he disappears rapidly into the kitchen. 

“Dick don’t be ridiculous.” Jason says but doesn’t try to stop him. He’s tired of forcing him to take care of himself.

“Well, you’re here now. If I feint, just put it back on my face.” Dick snaps as he comes back with a map of the city. A cheap one that you can buy in a gas station. He opens it and puts it on the ground. “For what I’ve gathered from his medical records, Caley can’t walk well by himself or drive because of injuries to his legs from the explosion. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if he lived somewhere close to those addresses. Can you read them out to me?”

Jason nods and reads him the three addresses they had found as Dick marks them on the map. 

“So, all of these are at the edge of the Central Business district. Makes sense if the people receiving the money are council members and chairman of companies.” Jason comments after he gets up and looks at the map. He doesn’t know the city as well as Dick but he at least knows that much.

“There are a lot of luxurious apartment buildings being constructed in that sector,” Dick says. “Not to mention public transportation is better around that part of town.” 

“You really think he’s delivering the money himself?” Jason crosses his arms. “Those kinds of guys try to keep their hands clean.” 

“Maybe not, but at the same time, if you’re last partner nearly kills you with a bomb, wouldn’t you not let people near your money?” The acrobat asks.

“I guess not. But still, he doesn’t really blend into a crowd either.” The younger man points out.

Dick sighs, his eyes still fixed on the map. “I think our best plan of action is to put that place under surveillance and keep our eyes open for the people on the list and see if they meet with anyone.” 

“That can take a long time if we’re unlucky. Are you willing to leave the town without protection for nights on end just to stake out this place?” Jason asks. He knows how Nightwing has the bad habit of taking the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

“As far as Caley is concerned, we’re both dead.” Dick answers, coming to the same conclusion as Jason last night. “Which means Nightwing can’t make an appearance in the city so we can keep our advantage.” 

“I’m good at playing dead.” Jason jokes. Dick makes a face at that. It’s always the same when Jason mentions his death. Like Dick was kicked in the balls while biting a lemon. “But that would let other criminals cause trouble.” 

“I could ask Tim to come check and ask questions about our whereabouts. Just to solidify our possible disappearance.” Dick thinks out loud.

“Works for me.” Jason says and sits down again. “But let’s try to wrap this up in the next week. I still have some work back in Gotham.” 

Dick nods and offers him a big smile. “Sound like a plan.”

Red Hood really hopes this plan would survive the first phase.


	6. Chapter 6

They’d been right in thinking that Caley would get more daring if he thought both Nightwing and Red Hood were dead. 

In the first few days of their surveillance, they spotted the same man meeting with the people on the list. It wasn’t Caley, like Jason predicted, but they easily find out who the man was. Jeremy Morrison is a part-time nurse aid that had been fired from his last job for maltreatment. He had some trouble paying his bills, but suddenly, a few months ago, his financial situation improved drastically when he was hired by a private contractor.

Jason had taken the mission to keep tabs on Morrison’s whereabouts while Dick continued with surveillance. 

That is how they find out Morrison’s employer lives in one of the penthouses at the top of one of the new apartment buildings. A few nights of stakeouts by Red Robin and digging by Dick and Barbara confirms that the man living in the penthouse really is Turner Caley.

Now they only need to get their plan in motion to finally catch their man. 

Batman and Oracle were coordinating the bust on the drug delivery location in Gotham with Robin, Orphan and the Signal. Red Robin and Spoiler were taking care of the dock in Blüdhaven.

They’re counting on the fact that a power-hungry man like Caley will probably panic when he realizes his whole empire is crumbling and tries to flee or sends Morrison to take care of things. Either way it would leave him vulnerable.

That’s where Red Hood comes in to make sure that the police get Caley and all the proof they need to put him away for good. 

It’s taken Jason a long time to convince Dick to let him go alone. His wrist was still healing after all. Sure, surveillance had been possible for him, but as skilled as Dick is, Jason doesn’t want him on the field when he’s still injured.

“I still think I should go with you. Three fingers already proved he was a crazy man. I wouldn’t put it pass him to have rigged his whole apartment to explode in case he was ever cornered.” Dick says from his spot against the wall as he watches Jason put his gear on. 

Alfred had been kind enough to bring him a change of clothes and gear from his apartment. The butler was probably the only one he trusted around his stuff. During his visit, Alfred had checked Dick’s wound to make sure the damage wasn’t too bad and that it was healing properly. 

“You heard Alf. Your wrist should heal without a problem as long as you don’t participate in any strenuous activity.” Jason reminds him as he finishes tying his boots. “I know your grip on reality is different from normal people because you’ve been fighting crime since you were nine years old but swinging from building to building and punching a guy in the face are considered strenuous activities.”

“I know. I just hate sending you without backup. And this is our case. I feel left out not being there for the big final.” Dick crosses his arms and pouts like the man child he is. He looks away at the one dirt spot that has driven Jason crazy all week because it won’t wash out.

The last part makes him pause. Their case? Sure, they had been focused on the case for the last week, but Dick had worked on it alone for months. This was Dick’s case more than Jason’s. It was a bit weird to consider it their project when Jason just joined in.

“If it makes you feel better, I can put you on speaker phone or video chat so you can give hime one of your horribly cheesy lines before I leave him for the police.” Jason offers as he picks up his body armour. 

“Hey, my lines aren’t that bad.” Dick says pushing away from the wall and helping him snap the armour on. Normally Jason would tell him to just leave him alone but there is something natural about them both working together to complete even a simple task like this.

All week they had been living in close quarters. Dick could have gone back to his own apartment and only met with Jason to exchange what they found. But instead, he preferred to stay with Jason in the safe house. They had organized everything in the living room, taken turns cooking and managed to agree on what to watch on TV. 

The hardest part had been sharing the bed. Both of them were too stubborn to let the other sleep on the couch. It had only been a bit awkward at first because Dick was attracted by body heat and Jason was a human furnace. But as much as he had complained, Jason knows he’ll miss all this after he goes back to Gotham.

He would miss being around Dick this much.

“Dickie, your whole hero carrier, is bad puns, inhuman bending and questionable fashion choices.” Jason teases him as the older man gives him his jacket.

“You are the only person that has ever complain about my bending.” Dick answers. 

“No complaining now, but I hated you for it when I was a hormonal teenager.” Jason comments without thinking.

Now really wasn’t the moment to confess about having a boner because of his adoptive brother as a teenager and to this day. He grabs the jacket out of Dick’s hand and puts it on. The older man is strangely silent after this. Jason knows he has figured something out.

Better leave now than to embarrass himself more.

“I’ll stay on the com all night. You keep me updated.” He says taking his helmet from the table and making his way to the window.

“Jay, wait.” Dick moves after him and grabs his arm, making Jason turn towards him. “Just be careful out there. If you feel something is off trust your gut. One last thing…”

“I know: no killing.” He cuts Dick off a bit harshly. Of course, the Golden boy would want him to respect the bat’s one big rule.

“No, that’s not it.” Dick grabs him by his jacket and bring him down. Any sound Jason would have made is cut off by a soft but firm kiss. It’s too fast for him to reciprocate properly before Dick moves back.

“If I read the situation right, there’s a lot more where that came from. If I read it wrong, I would like to explain myself.” Dick whispers. “Either way I’ll wait for you here after tonight’s bust for a late victory dinner.”

Jason opened his mouth to say something, but he’s not sure if he wants to answer or scream at Dick for having dropped a boom like this on him before a big mission. The com interrupts them before he can make up his mind.

“Oracle to Nightwing. The bats are on the move,” Barbara announces. 

Dick presses his fingers to the com unit in his ear. “Hood on his way.” He answers. He looks up at Jason and tries to put on a brave face, but it’s clear he is worried and it’s not just because Jason is going alone.

“Don’t burn dinner.” The younger man finally says before he put his helmet on. 

His heart jumps when Dick offers him a bright smile at his answer and Jason decides to come back and not run away. He’ll give his predecessor a chance to explain himself.

Red Hood gives a mock salute before moving out the window. 

Even before his feet touch the ground of the hallway, he was already anxious to be done with this night. Caley better not play hard to get tonight.

Jason had a hot date and he didn’t want to be late.


	7. Epilogue

Jason sighs in annoyance when a folded newspaper falls on the page he is reading. He takes the paper in his hand without looking up. “So, you’re late for our dinner because you stopped to buy this?”

“First of all, I’m not late. Second, the traffic between Blüdhaven and Gotham is terrible today. Give me a few minutes to get ready.” Dick says as he presses a kiss on the top of Jason’s head and disappears into their bedroom.

“Reservation is in less than an hour, so you had better not take forever in the shower.” He calls after the acrobat but he’s pretty sure he won’t listen to him.

“We won’t be late.” Is the only answer he gets before the shower is turned on.

“Says the man who has been raised to be fashionably late by Bruce Wayne.” Jason mutters under his breath as he shakes his head and finally opens the newspaper. He smiles reading the headline: _Turner “Three Fingers” Caley declared guiltily_. Jason already read the news on his phone earlier today, but there is something satisfying about seeing it in print in big bolt letters.

The trial had been really long and more than once they were worried that the man would be able to escape justice. At first, Caley have tried to put the blame on his caretaker and right-hand man, Morrison, but the man had decided to make a deal with the police and confess everything he knew. And that had been enough to solidify all the proof that Nightwing had shared with the police officers he trusted. After that, Caley had tried to plead insanity and tried to appeal to the public by using his disability to his advantage.

In the end, the judge and jury had seen him for what he truly was: a murderous psychopath.

He had been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The event had reopened some of the cases of past overdosed victims around Gotham. Jason wasn’t too optimist about the investigation, but at least they were trying.

The only downside to the sentencing was that Caley would serve it in a minimal security prison because a prison like Blackgate wasn’t equipped for a wheelchair-bound criminal. That last part had been a little gift from Red Hood. He had promised not to kill the man, but when Three-Fingers had taken out an Uzi to try to kill him, he had to defend himself. Easy way to neutralize Caley and remind him whom he had pissed off.

“Do you like it? I thought about getting it framed or something.” Dick announces as he walks out of the room. He is dressed, but his hair is still wet and all over the place. The worst is that Jason knows it will dry and still look perfect even before they step into the restaurant.

“Not sure I want this terrible man’s face framed on our wall. And we’re not about to start collecting trophies like Batman.” Jason comments.

“Why not? It’s the first case we solved together.” Dick says and wraps his arms around his boyfriend’s shoulders from the back of the couch. “And it’s some kind of poetic justice that he got sentenced on the day of our one-year anniversary.

Jason smiles a bit as he pulls on Dick’s hand and kisses his knuckles. “Talking about our anniversary. We need to go now before we’re really late.” He comments and gets up, leaving the newspaper on the coffee table.

Dick jumps over the back of the couch to stand in front of his lover and kisses him deeply. Jason wraps his arms around his waist and kisses him back happily. Even after a year of this, that gesture still sends shivers down his spine.

“If you continue like this, we’ll definitely be late.” Jason whispers against the other man’s soft lips.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Dick grins. His blue eyes are shining with a lot of promise.

“You’re the one that says we need to go on a normal date. But we’re definitely eating dessert at home.” He says and slaps Dick’s butt cheek before turning to get their coat.

If a year ago, someone had told Jason that being stuck with Dick for a full week to work on a common case would have started something this strong between them, Jason would have laughed in their face. Now they are sharing a nice apartment on the edge of Gotham and do normal couple things like grocery shopping and talking about what color to paint their living room.

Sure, Red Hood and Nightwing still take care of Gotham and Blüdhaven separately, but there have been a lot more team-ups between them. And the moment they pass the threshold of the room where they keep their gear, they return to Dick and Jason who are always together.

“Jay?’” Dick asks looking up at him.

“I’m ready. Let’s go.” Jason says before he grabs Dick’s hand.


End file.
